Chapter 21 The Crown Prince, still drunk and asleep, cries out, "Cousin, say something!"...
Cousin remained silent, which frightened Banban so much that her legs went weak. She kept pushing him, saying, "Cousin, say something!"
Perhaps her shoving had an effect, or perhaps it was her barely audible sob that brought him back to reality, but Ying Zheng grasped her hand, took a deep breath, and spoke in an exceptionally soft voice, "Banban, the master is dead."
She suddenly froze, "What—"
A faint red tinge appeared at the corner of his eyes, blending into the sunset behind him, making it impossible for her to tell which part was redder.
"The gentleman and his uncle's family were ambushed on their way out of the State of Zhao."
These words were like a thunderbolt from the blue, as if the sky were about to collapse. She began to tremble, unable to stop herself from recalling the ambush she had encountered when she left Handan with her cousin.
A torrential rain was approaching, and the gates of Xianyang City were flung open. The Ji family hurriedly entered in a carriage. They were greeted by the Crown Prince's entourage.
When Banban saw people from afar, she jumped off the carriage and ran away, shouting, "Mother! Father!" Several eunuchs and palace maids chased after her, trying to hold umbrellas for her.
She ignored everything; it was as if the only thing in her world was her parents, who had nearly lost their lives on the way.
Ji Xiu, his clothes disheveled and his hair loose, hurriedly caught his daughter and embraced her, "My dear daughter." Even a man as experienced as him could not help but show sorrow on his face and weep continuously.
"Where is my mother? Where is my mother?"
Pang got out of the car with difficulty, revealing Zhu, who was wrapped up tightly behind the curtain. Her face was red and her eyes were swollen from crying. "Your mother gave birth prematurely on the way and can't stand the wind."
Zhu Shi trembled as she said, "To protect us, Mr. Ji Hao volunteered to cover our retreat and was shot by several arrows... He's... he's finished."
Pang said, "At that time, you were in labor and about to give birth prematurely. It was a helpless situation. Mr. Ji Hao was highly skilled in martial arts, while Ashu was neither good at literature nor martial arts. At that moment, Xue fainted. Her child is in the car, and I will take care of him for the time being."
Banban felt a lump in her throat and unconsciously turned her head to look.
Inside the cart, the figure of an adult man was clearly visible under a white sheet.
Ying Zheng stood in front of the chariot without moving forward. Qin Ju hurriedly held an umbrella for him and wiped the water droplets from his sleeves and shoulders. The rain was like pillars, and patches of shadow were cast across him, making it difficult to see his expression clearly.
He stared at Ji Hao's corpse without saying a word. Ji Xiu knelt on the ground, his words jumbled up, "With the help of the master at the city gate, we bribed a soldier early in the morning, and there was nothing amiss when we left. Who would have thought that before we had gone ten miles, a large number of masked men would suddenly appear?"
"The Qin soldiers sent by His Highness the Crown Prince were strong and powerful, but one man cannot fight against four, let alone a premeditated ambush. They were all defeated."
He pulled a bamboo tube from his chest. "This is what my master asked me to give to His Highness the Crown Prince before he died."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng, who had been standing silently facing the corpse, turned around.
Banban saw his horrified expression. In the light and shadow, the bones of his face were particularly prominent. His long eyes were taut, and dark malice emanated from the corners of his eyes. Beneath his tightly pursed lips was a gnashing hatred.
"The State of Zhao, Handan," he said, each word deliberate, his voice low and brimming with a powerful rage, "I will never—"
He swallowed the crucial words, restraining himself and suppressing his emotions, and blood immediately trickled from the corner of his lips.
It was bitten when he closed his mouth tightly.
The same flame burned in Banban's eyes. She walked over and took her cousin's hand, her face full of approval and encouragement, but also tinged with an unspoken murderous intent.
When the King of Qin heard that the Crown Prince's tutor had been ambushed and killed, he sighed, "How could such a thing happen? Zhao is always like this, never letting the Qin people off the hook. Back then it was me, and now it is my child."
"If I had known this would happen, I should have sent more Qin soldiers to escort them, and this would not have happened."
When Zichu and Lü Buwei fled the State of Zhao, they also narrowly escaped death, almost losing their lives several times in foreign lands.
Lü Buwei comforted him, “Why should Your Majesty blame yourself? The people of Zhao have a hundred ways to kill Ji Hao, and this is just one of them. Their target is not the Queen Mother’s family.”
"When Your Majesty hears this, you should kill all those who cannot be recruited for your service."
"This is how Zhao intercepted and killed Ji Hao."
"I have heard that King Zhao intended to appoint Ji Hao as Grand Tutor to teach the Crown Prince, but Ji Hao refused. In the end, he taught the Crown Prince instead. This action has long been the object of King Zhao's resentment. The Crown Prince and the Crown Prince have been at odds for a long time. Ji Hao's death is inevitable. It is only a matter of when he dies."
"That's true," King Qin said with concern and heartache for the Crown Prince. "Issue an order for the Crown Prince to take three days off to rest properly. There's no need for him to put on a show of striving. Let's see his teacher off on his final journey."
The eunuch bowed and replied, "Yes."
Lü Buwei smiled and said, "Your Majesty is benevolent." He then added, "Zhao Langzi is ambitious and dared to intercept and kill His Highness the Crown Prince's teacher."
With that, he bowed and rose, placed his left hand over his right, and respectfully presented his memorial, saying, "I believe that we should immediately send troops to attack Zhao!"
How can this not be considered a legitimate reason for taking action?
The King of Qin was indecisive and had not yet decided when to attack Zhao.
Upon hearing this, he did not hesitate and immediately clenched his fist, "I grant your permission. We will discuss this matter in detail at tomorrow's morning court!"
Ji Changyue went to see Ji Hao's body, cursing incessantly with hatred, as if that humiliating past had been slapped across her face again. "Bury Ji Hao with the highest honors! He was kind to Zheng'er, and must not be treated lightly!"
Just as the maid was about to leave, she called out to her, "Wait."
“Ji Hao has a widow and an orphan who is only one year old,” Ji Changyue said after pacing around the room for a moment. “Order that Ji Hao’s widow be brought into the palace, and that her child be brought in as well. I will raise him myself.”
The maid was taken aback. "Your Majesty, this... Mr. Ji Hao is indeed important, but you shouldn't elevate him so much. I've heard that Lady Xue is quite beautiful, and she's only twenty-seven years old. It's really inappropriate to keep her in the palace."
Upon hearing this, Ji Changyue paused for a moment, then relaxed her brows and said, "You're right, let me think about it some more."
Where is the Crown Prince?
"His Highness the Crown Prince is currently before the coffin, with Lady Ji by his side." The Ji family has been properly settled. The Queen has been very generous, buying a mansion in Xianyang with all the necessary servants, its scale rivaling that of a monarch.
Ji Changyue sighed, "Zheng'er has no idea how heartbroken he will be. He's a very sentimental child." She immediately decided to go see her child.
When Ji Changyue arrived at the altar with food boxes and soup, she saw Ying Zheng kneeling before the tablet. As a crown prince of a country cannot observe mourning for outsiders, he was dressed in black, without any white.
Banban knelt beside him, wiping her eyes with sobs every now and then, muttering, "I haven't apologized to you in person yet, telling you that I don't hate you anymore."
Ji Changyue realized she had sighed countless times today.
Recalling the days in the Ji family in Handan, although it wasn't as enjoyable as having power and wealth in my own hands now, it was still warm and happy.
In the afternoons, she would occasionally see Ji Hao leading two little ones under a tree, swaying their heads and enjoying the cool shade. Ji Hao was talkative, and his teaching was humorous and witty, often making people laugh.
Banban didn't go very often. The things Zheng'er was learning were difficult for her to understand. She would peck at the rice like a chick, and soon she would fall asleep and lie down on Zheng'er's lap to rest.
Nowadays, the brother and sister still stand side by side as always, but the humorous husband has changed from a smiling figure in front of the tree to a memorial tablet above his head.
"Zheng'er."
With his shoulder gently patted, Ying Zheng raised his head.
Ji Changyue spoke in an extremely gentle voice, “Eat something,” having heard that the Crown Prince had knelt before the coffin for a day and a night, “If Mr. Ji Hao knew that you were ruining your health like this, he wouldn’t be happy.”
Ying Zheng turned back to look at the memorial tablet, unmoved.
Ji Changyue added the second half of the sentence, "Besides, even if you don't eat Banban, you still have to eat it."
He was slightly lost in thought after hearing this, as if he had forgotten that his cousin had been with him the whole time.
Fifteen minutes later, Banban was holding a ceramic bowl and drinking meat soup at the table, constantly stealing glances at his cousin. He only felt relieved when he saw that his cousin had actually started eating.
"This steamed egg custard is easy to digest, so use a lot." Ji Changyue stirred it and divided it into bowls for each person. "I added some vinegar to enhance the flavor."
"It's delicious, thank you, auntie," Banban said obediently.
Ji Changyue stroked her smiling face, "Your mother gave birth prematurely to a baby boy. Have you gone to see him? You should go and have a look."
Banban shook his head upon hearing this, "I've seen Mother, but I haven't met my little brother yet. Knowing that Father, Mother, and Grandmother are all well, I'm relieved. I'm more worried about my cousin now that Mr. Ji Hao has passed away."
She planned to leave the palace and go home as soon as her cousin's three-day holiday ended.
"Alright then." Ji Changyue softened her expression.
After having his meal, Ying Zheng still didn't say much and went to wait under the mourning hall.
She washed and dressed herself before going to find him. He was stroking the bloodstained bamboo tube, his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
"What's inside?" Banban couldn't help but ask curiously.
Ying Zheng paused slightly, his voice slightly hoarse, "It is a strategy document for the six states. You know that you may not be able to go to Qin alive, no wonder you set off with your uncle's family. Perhaps you are afraid that your uncle's family will also be ambushed if they set off alone."
Unfortunately, he was only the crown prince and had no authority to mobilize troops to welcome him back.
“We will avenge you, cousin,” Banban urged him to boost morale.
Ying Zheng didn't speak. After a long while, he took her hand and gently squeezed it. "It's my fault. You've suffered all day." He hadn't slept for a day and a night, and his cousin had stayed by his side without leaving for a moment. The person who used to be pampered and lazy didn't utter a sound, didn't complain of being sleepy or hungry.
"I feel sorry for my cousin." Banban straightened up, gently put her arm around his shoulder, awkwardly patted his back, and tried hard to comfort him.
He closed his eyes, put his arm around her waist, and gently rested his face on her shoulder.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Crown Prince continued to enter and leave Chengkun Palace as usual, and the tutors continued their lessons as normal. There was no indication that the Crown Prince was affected in any way, which greatly pleased the King of Qin, who invited him to drink together.
Ying Zheng did not drink alcohol and was very uncomfortable with it. He got angry with the King of Qin because he woke up late the next day.
The King of Qin laughed heartily, pointed at him and said to Lü Buwei, "Although my son looks gentle and mild-mannered, he always has the same expression and is not very interesting. Today, things are finally different."
Ying Zheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
Lü Buwei sensed something, and with a smile, he gave the crown prince a deep look.
Privately, he stopped Ying Zheng and asked him, "Does Your Highness still resent me? Or the King?"
Ying Zheng smiled sullenly, "No, Prime Minister, you are overthinking it. I just drank too much yesterday and have a splitting headache, so I can't be happy at all."
The crown prince wanted to leave, and even the prime minister of the country could not stop him. He fell into deep thought, stared at the crown prince's back for a moment, and then leisurely turned around and left.
To everyone's surprise, she turned around and bumped into a palace maid. "Your Excellency, the Queen requests your presence."
Lu Buwei was startled and turned his head sharply to look at the Crown Prince's figure, but the prince had already disappeared down the palace road. He tensed up, frowned, and lowered his voice, "Queen? What urgent matter does the Queen have now?"
The palace maid replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "You will know when you arrive, sir."
Ying Zheng walked back to Taxue Pavilion. The road was very long, but he was used to it and it seemed quite short.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of Taxuexuan, I saw that the area around the door was in a mess.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be palace servants packing their luggage.
His heart skipped a beat, a ripple of displeasure washing over him. He demanded sharply, "What are you doing?"
Qian Yin was standing to one side greeting them. After bowing and paying her respects, she explained, "Your Highness, I have informed the Queen, and she has agreed. Today, I will be leaving the palace to return to the Ji family."
Ying Zheng's expression changed instantly, and the corners of his slightly twitching lips straightened out in a flash.
Qian Yin was so frightened by his change of expression that she almost knelt down. "Your Highness, this morning I have been sending palace servants to the East Palace, but they all say that Your Highness is still drunk and hasn't woken up. In the afternoon, you went to Xianyang Palace and didn't have any free time. I didn't mean to hide it from Your Highness."
"And her?" Ying Zheng practically spat out the words through clenched teeth.
"They've gone to Yiying Palace, and I imagine they'll be back soon." Qian Yin's legs trembled, and a crowd of people knelt in Taxue Pavilion.
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